12 Weird Period Problems You Thought Only Happened To You

We all know about the common side effects of getting your period: cramps, bloating, headaches, sore breasts, mood swings, and exhaustion. It’s normal to hear girls complaining about painful cramps that leave them bed-ridden. We’re used to hearing everyone talk about their roller coaster emotions, from friends laughing about embarrassing crying episodes to dudes cringing in fear over their girlfriends picking fights for no reason. No one is surprised to hear a woman complaining about any of these things – in fact, we’re often expected to complain about them. But what about your other period symptoms? What about the ~weird~ things that happen during PMS that aren’t freely discussed? Things like stomach issues and heavy flows?

With the lack of discussion over anything that isn’t a *mainstream period problem* it’s easy to start thinking you’re the only one experiencing the so-called “weird” menstruation issues you might go through. Teachers in sex ed, moms, and gynecologists freely speak about the most common period problems, but they fail to tell you about the (for lack of a better word) more gross things that could happen to your body. So let’s talk about it! The “strange” things you might be experiencing are probably way more common than you think… it’s just that girls feel too embarrassed to bring them up. Here are 12 weird period problems you thought only happened to you that are actually pretty normal:

Which one of these weird period problems have you experienced? What did we forget to include? Let me know in the comments.